About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

With its indestructible hero and eccentric supporting cast, Hiro Mashima's shonen manga series Fairy Tail won't win too many points for originality. However, it does manage to tell a fast-paced, rip-roaring tale that gives us a taste of the adventures to come. The art is crisp and clear and the characters' elastic, exaggerated expressions are hilarious.

In this first volume, we're introduced to the main characters and the basic principles of the vaguely familiar world of Fairy Tail.

While it's mostly predictable, it's still loads of fun to read.



Pros

• Fun, fast-paced story with loads of action, adventure and humor
• Crisp, well-executed art that never gets in the way of the story
• Kooky menagerie of likeable, distinctive characters with endearing chemistry with each other
• Introduces the basic principles of this magical world without overwhelming readers with details

Cons

• Predictable story and familiar artwork will remind many readers of One Piece

Description

• Original Title:Fairy Tail (Japan)
• Author & Artist: Hiro Mashima
• Publishers:
  • Del Rey Manga (US)
  • Kodansha (Japan)
• ISBN: 978-0-345-50133-2
• Cover Price: $10.95 US / $12.50 CANADA
• Age Rating:T – Teens Age 13+, for partial nudity, comical violence
  More about content ratings.
• Manga Genres:
  • Shonen (Boys') Manga
  • Action / Adventure
  • Comedy
  • Fantasy
• US Publication Date: March 2008
  Japan Publication Date: December 2006
• Book Description: 202 pages, black and white illustrations
• More Manga by Hiro Mashima:
  • Rave Master
  • Monster Hunter Orage

Guide Review - Fairy Tail Volume 1

A brave, honorable and almost indestructible boy, his mischievous furry companion, and a band of renegade misfits seek adventure and fortune in an eccentric, magical world. No, you're not reading One Piece, Dragon Ball or any number of similar shonen manga adventure titles... You're reading Fairy Tail, the latest effort from Hiro Mashima, the creator of Rave Master.

Mashima will not win many points for originality here – the characters, the artwork, the story will all remind shonen manga fans of things that they've seen before. But once you get that out of the way, you have to give props to Mashima for doing what he does very, very well. As a manga artist, you could do much worse than borrowing ideas from some of the most beloved shonen manga series around, and with Fairy Tail, Mashima seems to have gotten the formula down to a science.

In Fairy Tail Volume 1, we're introduced to the main characters who will be joining us on this ride: Lucy, an aspiring wizard; Natsu, a cocky yet honorable boy who tends to get motion sickness; a talking cat named Happy; and the wizards of Fairy Tail, a guild of renegade magic wielders who cast spells and battle monsters for money. There's a strong mix of likeable characters that make it appealing to male and female readers alike. With their elastic, exaggerated expressions and quirky personalities, the wizards of Fairy Tail have an endearing chemistry with each other that promises loads of fun to come.

Mashima gets readers hooked immediately by setting up the basic plot premise and establishing the template of tales to come. We're quickly brought up to speed about how magic works in the Fairy Tail world but aren't overwhelmed with details. While it's all fairly predictable, Fairy Tail has a well-crafted mix of action, adventure and humor that's makes it a rip-roaring, immensely enjoyable read.



Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.